I carry seven years of experience in HR in diverse roles spanning HR Business Partnering, Recruiting and Organisation Development in the ITES, Media and currently in the BFSI sector. I have completed my two years MBA program from Goa Institute of Management in 2009, where I majored in Human Resource. Prior to MBA, I had completed by B.Com from Mumbai University.

What attributes are essential for a candidate to thrive in a career in HR?

As an HR professional, for the past seven years, I believe one needs to constantly learn and stay updated to current trends in the industry. I subscribe to People Matters magazine and make it a point to discuss with my friends in the industry the latest in our field. Understanding the business of your organisation, will help you bring real value to the table. These days a lot of organisations offer HR a seat at the table, what you do with that seat depends entirely on you. I believe anyone in HR, be in the COEs of Talent Acquisition, C&B, HR operations or any an HR Generalist, all play the role of an HR partner to the business. Strong conceptual knowledge, ability to think different, ability to influence stakeholders is what organisations are looking towards HR for these days.

What are the best aspects of having a career in HR?

There is no organisation without PEOPLE. Managing, Motivating and Developing the most important Asset of the organisation is what HR is all about. It feels tremendously rewarding to see a person who nervously interviewed with you few years back, do so well and move up the corporate ladder. The role of an HR professional gives you vast opportunities to add real value to the daily lives of employees at work.

What part of your experience in your B-school has been most helpful in your career?

While studying at GIM, most of your assignments and projects were group work. Working in teams with people, from across cultures, educational backgrounds and age showcased new perspectives and at times even conflicts. Putting forth your point, agreeing to disagree, learning to say No were some of the biggest learnings that help me today in the Corporate world.

What did you miss out on doing/trying at your B-school?

Frankly, there is nothing that I miss not doing. I excelled in academics, was part of the HR (Hriday) and Culture (Razzmattazz) clubs, made tons of good friends, and enjoyed every single day of the 2 years at GIM. Those were the best days of my life so far, and would love to have another chance to go back to college and re live those days.

What advice would you like to give to the forthcoming batches of your B-school?

Grab every opportunity that comes your way. Take up challenges, be part of inter B-school competitions, participate in extracurricular activities and form a strong network. This will help develop a holistic, well rounded personality which is important to become a good leader.

Brinelle Lobo is an HR Professional with 7 years of work experience in HR Business Partnering, Talent Management, OD and Recruitment. She has done her MBA from Goa Institute of Management – 2009. She is passionate about people, travel, culture and blogging – Bree on the Brink